The NFL's 15th Kickoff event celebration is in Denver's Civic Center Park this year after the Broncos' Super Bowl victory, and the event will include "interactive games, test-your-football-chops camps, autograph sessions with players, and photo opportunities with the Vince Lombardi trophy as well as" Broncos HOF busts, according to Sara Grant of the DENVER POST. NFL Senior VP/Events Peter O'Reilly said that the league "scoped out a few locations in the city including closer to the stadium," but there was "no denying the natural flow of Civic Center." The Denver "backdrop and mountain landscapes don’t hurt, either." O'Reilly: "Visually, it’s hard to beat." A "sure-to-be-popular stop" in the NFL Kickoff Village will be Peyton’s Retirement Combine, presented by DirecTV, created in the image of former NFLer Peyton Manning's "latest laugh-out-loud commercials." But the main event will be a "free concert by Dierks Bentley and OneRepublic on Thursday, Sept. 8." Outside of the NFL's Kickoff Village, other events will be "scattered throughout the Denver community, including a celebration" with the United Service Organization and a Play 60 event. A new addition this year is that the NFL is pairing up with party organizer Daybreaker to "host The Morning Blitz, a free football-themed workout and dance party inside Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Wednesday, Sept. 7," from 6:00-9:00am. O'Reilly: "As a league, our goal is ... to do right by Denver fans and give them a true celebration of what is such a great fan base" (DENVER POST, 9/2).
